Years and years ago I tried to duplicate every recipe my mom made on the regular from my childhood. I was very successful in cloning each one.

Then today, I’m trying to find a way to use these chicken thighs I have. I know most of them will get used for Asian dishes. I’ll crisp up the skins for dog treats and save the bones for tomorrow’s turkey stock.

Then some 40 year old memory kicks in and I remember chicken spaghetti. I call my mom and make sure I have the fundamentals right. She has also forgotten she used to make it all the time and decides that she is going to make it for her dinner too.

Cost per person, $1.75 No wonder we ate it as kids.

    • JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.socialEnglish
      1·
      2 months ago

      The only parm I (sometimes) keep is pre-grated, in a container. The taste definitely isn’t up to good parmesan & asiago, but do you reckon that might still be useful for chicken parm?

          • treadful@lemmy.zipEnglish
            2·
            2 months ago

            The cheese is mostly mozz. A little parm for flavor. Pretty much any recipe you find will go that route.

          • FauxPseudo @lemmy.worldOPM
            2·
            2 months ago

            Skip the parmigiano all together. Use mozzarella or even provolone to melt on top. Just bread the chicken with seasoned bread crumbs and fry it.

            • JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.socialEnglish
              2·
              2 months ago

              Just bread the chicken with seasoned bread crumbs and fry it.

              Provolone, now we’re talking.
              And I just learned that “schnitzel” means “cutlet.” Vienna-style.

                • JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.socialEnglish
                  1·
                  2 months ago

                  So, every once in a while I like to make a hamburger-TexMex-casserole-SCO (steel-cut oats) kind of affair, usually finished by dumping it over a salad, topped with pico de gallo, avocado wedges, et cet. All scooped up with some Fritos or tortilla chips. Friggen’ yum.

                  A couple times though, I wanted to try upping the flavor and healthy-qualities by using something better then just 85/15 hamburger, and spotted some thin, pounded-beef cutlets (Mexican Milanesa-style, maybe?), in the store. Tried cutting them in to very-thin strips, substituting for the hamburger, and cooking a bit longer, but goldangit, what a tough, teeth-chewing, unwelcome exercise that turned in to.

                  I dunno, maybe look for a better cut of pounded beef (except IIRC that’s all they had) or just cook longer? It’s weird, though-- sometimes cooking failures motivate me to do MUCH better, and other times just… surrender without a fight.

                  Fuck.

  • qarbone@lemmy.worldEnglish
    9·
    2 months ago

    Strange that my first thought waa “that’s strange”. I love roast chicken. There’s no reason chicken has to be breaded to be invited to a red sauce pasta.

    I’m gonna be the chicken change I want to see in the world.

  • homes@piefed.worldEnglish
    7·
    2 months ago

    I know this may be a pain in the ass to ask, but could you and step-by-step instructions for this? For someone who isn’t very good at cooking? I could really use this.

    I can use premade pasta sauce and store-bought chicken cutlets. I don’t need anything fancy.

    And that would be a very very grateful ❤️

    • FauxPseudo @lemmy.worldOPM
      12·
      2 months ago

      All typed up for you. Let me know if there are any typos.

      Chicken spaghetti
      Servings: 4
      4 chicken thighs. Skin on and bone in.
      Salt and pepper.
      2 tbsp unsalted butter.
      1 clove garlic, minced.
      1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes.
      1 pinch red pepper flakes.
      1 pound dry spaghetti.

      • Trim any excess skin from the thighs. Leave any extra fat.
      • Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken thighs.
      • In a large skillet melt butter at medium high heat until melted
      • Add chicken thighs skin side down.
      • Cook for 5 minutes or until skin is golden and crispy
      • Flip and cook for another 5 minutes.
      • Add the garlic to the rendered butter and fat.
      • Cook for just about 30 seconds.
      • Add a little of the crushed tomatoes to deglaze and flavor on the bottom of the pan.
      • Add the red pepper flakes and rest of the crushed tomatoes.
      • Add some water to bring the sauce level up to just shy of the tops of the chicken.
      • Stir it as best you can around the chicken to mix the water and tomatoes.
      • Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.
      • Cover and simmer for 40+ minutes.
      • Flip the chicken two times during cooking.
      • About 25 minutes before the cooking time is up start boiling the water for the pasta and cook until you get the desired tenderness you want.
      • Remove the chicken from the skillet and it aside.
      • Drain the pasta and mix in the sauce.
      • Plate the spaghetti and add the chicken to the bowl.
      • Top with grated Parmesan if you want to.
      • vrek@programming.dev
        English
        3·
        2 months ago

        Interesting, that’s not how I normally make chicken spaghetti. Normally I boil the chicken, shred it, boil pasta Al dente, warm sauce, mix together with extra shredded cheese, put in a baking pan and bake till the top is slightly crispy.

        Your recipe sounds good too just different from my usual and figure I’d put in a different thought.

        • FauxPseudo @lemmy.worldOPM
          1·
          2 months ago

          I thought about finishing the pasta in the sauce but I wanted to make it the way I had it as a kid.

          I don’t think boiling chicken was ever done in my mom’s kitchen.